Posts

Showing posts from 2015

Dance and the f-word

Image
The end of the semester draws near and I'd like to talk about and reflect on this semester, the most important aspects of which have been dance and the f-word. Have you ever been so passionate about something that your heart wrenches every time you hear bad news about it? That your eyes have welled up with both tears of happiness and pain for it? That you can't imagine what your life would be without it, but you've definitely had moments where you know things would be a lot less complicated if your life was without it? This is how I feel about dance, a sentiment that I've shared before, but seems to grow stronger every semester that I dance with my family called Duke Dhoom. My parents think it's silly to be this emotionally attached to something or someone, and yes it probably is, but becoming passionate about something is like falling in love: you don't plan for it and it kind of just happens on its own. This semester has been my favorite on Dhoom since th

什么意思

Okay, it's been so long and I have so much to say that I think I'm going to have to separate my thoughts into three different posts. I've written only twice this year which is ridiculous, but I'm hoping to start doing it again because I've thought about doing it every week but something else has occupied my time. First it was China, then it was MCAT and now it's adjusting into life as a senior in college. This one's going to be about China. Going to Zhuhai for DukeEngage was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in my life, and the reasons are threefold. First, it was my first time out of the country on my own without my parents and it gave me a chance to explore and discover a place in my own way, at my own pace. I wasn't touring, taking photos constantly (though some of us were heh), or seeing what everyone else sees. I got a chance to understand the day in the life of a resident of Zhuhai (体验中国人的生活). I had a sense of independence an

Off to the Mainland

Three years ago, I  couldn't  have possibly imagined that by my senior year of college I  would've  already taken four semesters of Chinese and traveled to China to teach dance. Despite having visited numerous countries with my family members, the world has always felt incredibly large. Anywhere my parents have taken me, it’s been with the best accommodations and to all the touristic places, so it’s never felt as though I understood what life is like in these countries. The world feels large when you think of the planet being covered in a sea of faceless people with whom you have no relationship. Just meeting my international friends at Duke, I began to feel the world converge; people from other countries had routines and emotions like I did. This is why I’m especially excited to immerse myself into a completely new location and culture.  I've  been to more countries than the average American probably has, but I would by no means consider myself worldly because of this. E

The Duke Difference?

So, wow, it's actually been almost four months since I wrote and I'm not particularly happy about it because there's a lot that's been on my mind about school and personal relationships and how my perception of life has changed so much in just the past year. These p-frosh are so excited to be here and I'm already waiting to get out because Duke is not the "care about students, care about the issues" kind of place that I thought it was going to be. Disclaimer: I really do love being here, but it's mostly for our school spirit, our academics, and especially for the close friends that I've made being here. If my friends and I could be relocated altogether to a completely different environment, at this point in my Duke career, I honestly don't think I would mind at all. It's not until you really look behind the fake brick walls of construction and listen over the sound of cheering at basketball games that you realize Duke's true colors.